Oh to be a kid again & MEME

>> Saturday, 25 August 2007

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Gooseberry syrup

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Fresh gooseberries

Today's column is all about small days - that's what we call it - those happy childhood days . The games we played, the things we ate and all the mischief we got up to! (lol)

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Green mangoes with hot chilies and salt

I invite you to take a trip back in time with me, I am sure that some of you will identify with some of the things and have your own stories and memories to share. I'd like to hear them. So, click here to read the column and do come back and share some of your own childhood memories of playing in the sun or rain, especially during summer. We call it the August holidays :) told you we are a practical people when it comes to naming things.

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Tamarind balls

I think that you might enjoy seeing some of the fruits we have in season at this time of the year as well. You'll probably have different names for them and I'd like to know if you do. Also, some of these fruits I have only ever seen in Guyana, don't know if they exist in other islands so if you're from other parts of the Caribbean, I'd like to hear from you . Click here to see the fruits and here for the column.

We'd eat these to get the seed (marble) to play a game we called, you guessed it, marbles :) or as I'd hear others say, gam.

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Kuru

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Sugar cake

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Ginip

We'd take the tops off of the ginips and called them bulbs on a bunch.

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These, I did not make, I bought them while I was in Guyana recently.

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Jalabi(s)

After running around all day, there is nothing quite like a snocone to cool you down. We'd hear the bell or the horn of a snocone vendor and rush outside to get one of these ice-syrup treats.

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Snocone

Click here if you want the recipe for the gooseberry syrup, sugar cake or tamarind balls.

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  • MEMEs are everywhere in the blogsphere and I have received my fair share of tags, I cannot remember everyone that's tagged me but I want to thank all of you and apologise for only now getting around to doing it. Then last week, Elle of Feed My Enthusiasms also tagged me for another MEME but this MEME has rules! However, the principles are the same – to share information about yourself so I’ve decided to combine Elle’s as well as the 7-random facts MEME. Here goes.

    The MEME tagged from Elle works this way:

    You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
  • Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
  • When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
  • At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.

Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

My middle name is Anita.

A – Autumn is my favourite season of the year. Though I do not live in North America or in a country where there are 4 seasons, I have found myself visiting the USA on more than one occasion and experiencing all 4 seasons and the best for me is Autumn. The sheer beauty and riot of colours bring tears of joy to my eyes and I’m mesmerized at the splendour of it all. There is something in the lighting at that time of the year against the background of the kaleidoscope of colours that speaks to my soul, it’s as if I am in a whole new world.

NNana Mouskouri is one of my all-time favourite singers. I grew up listening to her music. My mother owned several of her albums and I now own a few of her CDs but not enough! My favourite album is the one titled, Over and Over. Christmas for me would not be the same without Nana’s Christmas songs playing in the background.

I – Insincerity is a quality in people that I abhor.

T – Three. That’s the number of children my parents have raised and I am the eldest. I have a sister, Patricia and my brother is Eon. He’s also the youngest.

A – Advertising is an exciting field in which I’ve worked in the past. It is also one of those jobs where you constantly have to massage peoples egos, smile politely because they are the client and sell people on notions that are not the whole truth. I guess you see why I had to leave this field of work given my feelings about insincerity (lol).

I now tag

Kelly-Jane of Cooking the Books
Mansi of Fun and Food
Toni of Daily Bread Journal
Sirisha of Amrbosia… Indian Indulgences
Ann of Montego Bay, Day by Day

98 comments:

Sylvia August 25, 2007 8:46 AM  

Excellent post,Cynhia . One of the causes of my disappoint of the world of advertising was the ego massage that was necessary to make day by day Arrived home with the stamped smile and pain in maxillary. I no support the hypocrisy of that world, I prefer the sincerity of the flavors

Andy August 25, 2007 9:27 AM  

That sugar cake looks amazing! I'd love to know what is in it. Your gooseberry's don't look like any I have ever seen.

Asha August 25, 2007 9:29 AM  

Hello Anita!!:)
All your childhood memories are ours too! Nellikai(Goose berries) wan my fave with salt and chilli pd.Raw tamarind was crushed with salt,chilli and made into lolly pops to suck the whole day was another.Ice candy of course!!:D
Loved all the photos and MeMe!!:))
Have a great weekend daring, hugs:)

Latha Narasimhan August 25, 2007 10:05 AM  

Hi cynthia!
what a nice meme! I know work culture these days are no culture! I too threw my job a year back as I felt suffocated.
Oh those berries, tamarind etc, so yummy.

Anh August 25, 2007 10:38 AM  

Oh Cynthia, I really enjoy this post. :) And your photos are so excellent, too.

Denise August 25, 2007 11:08 AM  

Cynthia

You edge ma teeth and no amount of Sensodyne will help.

I remember all those things tamarind balls, stewed gooseberries, snocones, ginips and jamoons with salt and pepper.

We love kuru with bread and butter and making marbles with the seeds, melting candles to rub the hot wax on the seed to make it smoother - oh such lovely memories - thanks
Cynthia

Dhana August 25, 2007 11:17 AM  

What a fantastic post!! the pics if tamarind and tamarind balls brings back fond memories. In fact just yesterday my friend's mom and I were drooling over the talk of gooseberries!!

Karin August 25, 2007 12:35 PM  

August ... the last of summer ... school started again ... 10 weeks of summer holidays ended...

August, definitely the busiest month of the year due to harvest time. Preparing for winter, you know.

I agree with Andy. Those gooseberries don´t look like any I have seen either. My mother used to cook Gooseberry cream. I´m not sure "cream" is the correct Emglish word for this dessert.

She cooked gooseberries with water and sugar, then added potato starch to make it thicker. It was eaten with milk.

Laavanya August 25, 2007 1:17 PM  

What a perfect collection of childhood treats... the gooseberries (esp. this kid) were my favorite and I love the tamarind too. Green mangoes with salt and chilli powder a hot favorite for most pple. Lovely post Anita.

sra August 25, 2007 1:19 PM  

Cynthia, your slide show had me gnashing my teeth over not being able to sink them into all that luscious fruit - now Guyana is on my list of must-sees!
I've seen most of those fruit in India - we call the carambola star fruit, the sapodilla is a sapota/chickoo, but it's oval, sugar apple is custard apple. I've never seen the owara, cookrate, genipe and mami, they look v interesting!

david santos August 25, 2007 1:23 PM  

Everything what you make is very good, but am far I cannot eat. Thus I come here every day to smell. Thanks for posting, Cyntia! Have good weekend

Susan August 25, 2007 1:41 PM  

Cynthia, a great collection of little treats & stories! Thanks for the intro to ginips and kuru, and your sharp & fun meme. As usual, love the sno cones. Could use one now!

Kelly Mahoney August 25, 2007 1:58 PM  

Great photos. Those tamarind balls look great and I could sure go for a snocone today ...

Kelly-Jane August 25, 2007 2:26 PM  

Hi Cynthia!

Thank you for the tag, this sounds like a fun one to do :)

I like all your pics of fruit, most of them are so exotic to me, and I love to learn about new foods :)

KJxx

bee August 25, 2007 3:36 PM  

cynthia, much of my childhood favs are the same as yours - gooseberries (my mom would make jars of pickle each year), tamrind, snocones, green mangoes. loved reading your MeMe. a question when you say 'sprinkle with salt and pepper' do you mean black pepper or cayenne? in india it's always cayenne (chili powder) that's sprinked on raw fruit.

Nupur August 25, 2007 3:40 PM  

This post is making my mouth water, what with the gooseberries, raw mango and tamarind! The last fruit (ginip) is new to me.

Elle August 25, 2007 4:41 PM  

Great post Cynthia! Thank you for participating in the meme.
Another Autumn lover...I think we need to unite since there are so many of us and we need an official holiday. I mean summer has three in the USA, spring has one or more and winter holidays are celebrated around the world. Will have to think about that. Do you know of any holday that celebrates what you like best about autumn?
It's neat that you like the music you mom did and I agree that advertising is a bad career for someone who abhors insincerity. Glad you left it behind. Has it been fun to be the older sister?

Elle August 25, 2007 4:43 PM  

Ooops, forgot to comment on all those wonderful foods from childhood. Most of yours are unfamiliar to me, but we, too had snocones. The gooseberries look great!

Pilar August 25, 2007 4:58 PM  

Cynthia, you always talk about the fresh seafood we have in my country ( Spain ), but what about all that exotic, fresh and delicious fruits you have in yours?

I have never tasted them( in fact they are not sold here) but they look so wonderfull....

Maybe I can go to Barbados for a few days and you can come here....

Belinda August 25, 2007 6:37 PM  

What a lovely post, Cynthia, and a very interesting, fun meme. Guyana produces some fabulous fruits without a doubt! And those ginips are so cool. I'm not familar with that fruit, but they look so enticing, and so cute in your photos. :-)

suheyla August 25, 2007 6:51 PM  

that's very interesting,to read something about you..and see original fruits and tastes from childhood..thank you cynthia..

Roopa August 25, 2007 6:56 PM  

excellent photos cynthia!. loved the tamarind balls my uncle would make these as lolipopas with pepper and jaggery for throat relief! and ocourse who can forget the goosberries. :)

Sharmi August 25, 2007 7:21 PM  

It was so much fun to read your column and the Meme. The pics made my mouth water especially for the gooseberry, mango and tamarind balls. the gooseberry color looks so pretty.

Truffle August 25, 2007 8:57 PM  

I always learn so much from you Cynthia. The one thing that featured in my childhood too were Jalabis. I remember them being painfully sweet but oh so cute.

valentina August 25, 2007 9:39 PM  

Cynthia, do you have a picture of the inside of kuru? It reminds me of a fruit we have in Brasil - north.made me curious.

SteamyKitchen August 25, 2007 9:44 PM  

Thanks for the great comment - yeah the boys are hilarious!

and I don't EVEN want to tell you what they would have said about the jilabis.

Chris August 25, 2007 10:17 PM  

Great pictures. I always love stopping by to get a glimpse and always end up learning something new!

I love that you used an Acrostic for your Meme. Autumn is my favorite season as well and I have missed a real autumn since moving down here. And, I am with you with advertising. I work in advertising many moons ago in NYC. Don't miss the egos...at all!

Valli August 25, 2007 10:18 PM  

I remember the lazy, hazy days of summer. When you're a kid everything seems great!!!My mom had a large gooseberry patch at the back of our property. Not like the goodeberries you are describing...mom would make jam and tarts and we even volunteered happily to pick the berries through all the thorns. We would raid our neighbours rhubarb patch and sit on the back porch dipping our haul into a bowl of sugar.

valentinA August 25, 2007 10:36 PM  

I see that our countries share many foods in common! Gooseberry is what we call 'bilimbi' (bee-lin-bee) here & I loved eating tamarin balls as a kid too! though now I think they're coated with too much sugar;)

Srivalli August 25, 2007 10:51 PM  

Cynthia...thats a wonderful meme to read....you have made us remember our childhood..thanks...


Srivalli
www.cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com

Sreelu August 25, 2007 10:51 PM  

Cynthia,

How nostalagic, boy those my favorite food growing up. I would eat gooseberries till my mouth and tounge turned white,raw mangoes specially plucked from other's houese tasted heavenly with chili powder and salt.

Lovely way to present a Meme, cannot agree more on I. well selling to people has become the key factor for sucess, the more noise you make the better, I was always brought up with the fact that actions speak louder then words hence find ,y self in constanct connundrum, Yes its not just limited to adevertising but reigns all over the corporate world

Suganya August 25, 2007 11:17 PM  

Tamarind balls, tamarind balls. I want tamarind balls. Plsssss send me the recipe Cynthia.

shilpa(AR),  August 25, 2007 11:50 PM  

As usual, amazing pictures Cynthia. Especially the gooseberry and mango ...Ohh how I miss them. My grand parents had a gooseberry tree in their backyard and whenever I visited them, I would lurk around that tree and pester everyone to give me some of those.

Vcuisine August 26, 2007 12:53 AM  

Lovely photos Cynthia. The tamarind balls looks lovely. Appreciate sending me the recipe. Your column is quite interesting to read always. Nice meme too. Viji

Jyothsna August 26, 2007 2:46 AM  

Such a fun post Cynthia! You brought back good memories of tamarind and gooseberries :) Anita is such a universal name :)

Raghu Ram Prasad August 26, 2007 6:02 AM  

Hi, Cynthia,, always you are having different eatables with different nature and taste....really God made you for serving different dishes to all of them...

Caffienated Cowgirl August 26, 2007 9:11 AM  

I adore tamarind. Growing up in California, I had a lot of it thanks to the Mexican influences on food. Jarritos makes a fabulous tamarind soda...so yummy!

Mansi Desai August 26, 2007 12:06 PM  

Hmmm...looks interesting! and tough!!!:) thx Cynthia, I'll try to get to this sometime today evening...will really have to rack my brains b'coz I have a loooong middle name!!:(

indosungod August 26, 2007 3:07 PM  

Gooseberries in syrup one of all time favorites and goose berries with salt and chilli powder never tire of that either. Lovely post Cynthia.

Pamela August 26, 2007 3:59 PM  

Dear Cynthia: Great great post!
I'm doing much better, guess it's a matter of time and tons of medicine. !! Thanks for asking! you're so sweet!

You made me soooo homesick, of those taste I learned to love as an adult when living in Panama and Costa Rica. My children still miss them so much. ¿Nana Mouskouri? I love her music too! love and kisses.

lori lynn at Taste With The Eyes August 26, 2007 4:50 PM  

Hi Cynthia - Your blog is always so refreshing! What a coincidence that this morning, I bought some tamarindo as well as jamaica (hibiscus) sodas made in Mexico to serve with my next Latin-style meal. Tamarind is an ingredient that I rarely, if ever, think about. Looking forward to tasting them…

And oh, I love your photo of “bulbs on a bunch.”

Nora B. August 26, 2007 4:57 PM  

Hi Cynthia,
Such wonderful foods & gorgeous photos! I love tamarind balls but have to buy them from Thailand or Malaysia (Singapore did not make their own).

Anita is a such a lovely middle name. And it was also good learning a bit more about you. Now I know where your nurturing character comes from - being a big sister! :-)

I hope that you had a good weekend, and a nice week ahead.

Figs Olives Wine August 26, 2007 4:59 PM  

Wow, what a great post! A chance to learn about the summer days of your childhood AND hear about you in a meme! Insincerity makes me so uncomfortable, and I'm completely with you there. As for autumn, I've never lived anywhere that we didn't have it, and it STILL males me feel like I'm in a new world. It's magical, and I can't wait for ours to start this year.

TBC August 26, 2007 5:18 PM  

Oh my! That post did bring back a lot of memories for me, Cynthia
I loved the pic of the tamarind, tamarind balls & the raw mango pieces. I've eaten so much of these as a kid during my visits to our ancestral home with my parents & sis.I had not heard of the last fruit before.
loved your post:-)

tigerfish August 26, 2007 7:39 PM  

Funny. They use the term "play gooseberry" to describe "to be with two people who are having a romantic relationship and who would prefer to be alone"...I wonder why :p

Thanks for sharing so much info, including the tamarind balls and ginip.

Green mangoes - I recall people soaking sliced green mangoes in dark soy sauce, red chili and sugar.

Cynthia August 26, 2007 8:53 PM  

Sylvia - actually, as I wrote that part of the MEME, my thoughts turned to you as I know you've worked in that field also and knew all too well what I was saying. Thanks as always for dropping by.

Andy - Thanks. I've left a note on your blog with the recipe.

I think the gooseberries we get here in the Caribbean are also known as Indian gooseberries and then of course there is the kiwifruit that's also called a gooseberry - Chinese gooseberry.

Asha - I would love to see those tamarind lolly pops. Make some and show us :) Seriously.

Thanks darling and hugs to you too.

Latha, Anh, Dhana, Susan, Kelly, Kelly-Jane, Nupur, Belinda, Suheyla, Roopa, Sharmi, Sirvalli, Viji, Jyothsna, Rahgu, Indosungod & TBC - my dear, dear friends, thank you all very much.

Denise - LOL, I couldn't stop laughing after reading: you edge my teeth.... That is such a Guyanese thing to say! :D

I've not had jamoons in moons! Remember they used to make a wine with it? And when we'd have it with salt and pepper, our hands, tongue, teeth and clothes would be purple?! :)

Kuru with bread and butter, that's new to me. Never heard of it before.

You are very welcome dearest.

Karin - College reopens tomorrow with staff meetings - oh joy. Not! We had a 3-month break and I don't know where the time went...

As I was saying to Andy, these are called Indian gooseberries. Whatever your mom made sounds delicious. Was it like a porridge?

Laavanya - thanks so much for stopping by and for sharing. I hope you come back and visit whenever you can.

Sra - I'm doing my bit for tourism :) When are you booking your flight?

You know... I've never seen the owara or cookrate elsewhere either. I'll have to check Trinidad or Jamaica. Mami we get here in Barbados as well as the ginips.

David - thanks for always taking the time to drop by. You have a good week too.

Bee - another connection through migration... I mean the raw chilie, referring to scotch bonnet or bird peppers, yeah, we like it real hot down here :)

Elle - I can't think of any holidays here that celebrates what I like about Autumn but what closely takes me there is scenic nature. I love the sky, I go crazy for trees, archways, passage ways, tracks, off-beaten paths, those sorts of things. Oh and I like cooler temperatures, I don't like being hot.

Being an older sister - I like it now that I am an adult but never did growing up. Too much pressure, expectations and always having to lead by example :)

Pilar - okay, you've got a deal! :)

Truffle - yes they are painfully sweet as you put it :) Generally, I just have a little piece just for the taste :)

Valentina - I've sent you some pics in an email.

Jaden - you know, I can just imagine. As soon as I read your comment, I myself, started to think of some stuff it would be called or looked like he he he he he.

Chris - and I always love having you stop by! Truly.

Valli - thank you so much for sharing with us and a very warm welcome to you.

I've never had rhubarb.

I hope you come back and visit when you have the time.

ValentinA - thanks for the other gooseberry name! I hear what you say about the sugar and the tamarind balls but I find that the tamarinds are usually so tart that the sugar balances it well.

Sreelu - oh my goodness, as soon as you said it, I had a memory flash back of how my mouth felt back then! :)

That is the sad thing, Sreelu, that that kind of insincerity is now widespread in so many other areas.

Suganya - alright, alright, hold on! It's on it's way! :)

Shilpa - and I can just imagine you lurking and pestering :)

Caff. Cowgirl - we make a really nice homemade tamarind drink here. What does it taste like as a carbonated beverage?

Mansi - good! :) the longer your name, the more things we get to know about you :)

Pamela - Darling! I'm glad to hear that you're feeling much better.

You love Nana too?! I knew there were lots of reasons we get on so well :) Hugs.

Lori Lynn - thanks for dropping by. If you ever make a curry, particularly a seafood curry, you can try putting a little bit of tamarind in it. Not a lot, the amount like a small glass marble. It will give it a nice slight edge. It's great in Thai food too.

Nora - I'm sending you lots and lots of hugs. You have a nice week too my friend.

Amanda - it is magical isn't it?! I envy the fact that you're going to witness it first hand while I have to be content with pictures on the net :)

Cynthia August 26, 2007 8:56 PM  

Tigerfish - hmmmmm, I wonder why too :)

Ohhhh, I like that idea - green mango, dark soy, chili and sugar... I think Pel had mentioned something similar a while back. Got to check it out.

Thanks for always taking the time to drop by. Truly appreciated.

Ann (MobayDP) August 26, 2007 11:11 PM  

Ooooh Girl! I love this post! I can soooo associate with so many of these things! :-D

In fact I might even steal this idea for a future post of mine. ;-)

I've had a lovely picture of some guineppes for quite a while now waiting to post it at the right time :)

I'll try to do the meme this week too! What fun :-D Thanks for tagging me Cynthia!

Nicola,  August 27, 2007 1:33 AM  

Hi Cynthia, thanks for this lovely post, especially the pictures of ginip, i've been trying to explain what they are to my husband for years and your pictures made my job alot easier, i always likened them to lychees but we know ginips are so much nicer. My mum insisted that we bite the seeds in 2 to avoid choking when we were litte, i also remember eating lots of the very sweet ones and those fleshy sour ones. the gooseberries in syrup was my favourite, unfortunately we dont get those here.

Anonymous,  August 27, 2007 8:17 AM  

Ok, I just had to find out the origins of the gooseberry reference so here is Oxford's answer "In British informal use, someone who plays gooseberry is a third person who stays in the company of two people, especially lovers, who would prefer to be alone; the usage comes from gooseberry-picker, referring to an activity as a pretext for the lovers to be together."

When I was a kid we were told that babies came from under the gooseberry bush, as we had one in our backyard I used to check it periodically... just in case.

JennDZ - The Leftover Queen August 27, 2007 8:51 AM  

Hi Cynthia! Great article! Sounds like so much fun! I have never tried gooseberries, but they sound delicious! I once bought some tamarind balls at a thai grocery. They are sweet and spicy all at once. I am not sure what is in them, as I cannot read the ingredients! However, I love all things tamarind, but they are not easy to come by! I usually just eat them as is. Have any other suggetions for using them?

Janet August 27, 2007 9:45 AM  

Wow great pictures! The sugar cake looks amazing! Great post.

Sirisha Kilambi August 27, 2007 11:18 AM  

Beautiful post Cynthia dear....loved every part of it :-)
Thanks for tagging me for meme...will sure post my part soon :-)

Sirisha Kilambi August 27, 2007 11:18 AM  

By the way....I loved ur meme......Learnt interesting things abt u :-)

Sig August 27, 2007 11:23 AM  

Hi Cyn, I just can't stop looking at those pictures... those are kind of my childhood memories too... So, your middle name is Anita... :) thats good to know...Nice me-me too :) Hugs.

Rosa's Yummy Yums August 27, 2007 11:30 AM  

A wonderful post! Everything looks ever so beautiful, exotic and yummy! Thanks for making me discover so many things...

Patricia Scarpin August 27, 2007 11:36 AM  

Cynthia, wonderful!
So many delicious treats, I don't know which one I'd taste first.
Tamarind is big here, in the Northeast area.

Padma August 27, 2007 12:24 PM  

What a wonderful post Cynthia! I loved those gooseberries and those tangy tamarind balls, slurp slurp..
loved reading your meme...even I like the colors of Autumn...every year I eagerly wait for this!

this little mainyacha August 27, 2007 3:01 PM  

Awww tamarind balls!!We have those in Nepal. They used to be such treats.I want some now!! Very interesting meme.

Kevin August 27, 2007 10:56 PM  

It has been a long time since I have had gooseberries. My grandmother used to have some in her back yard. The tamarind balls look interesting.

Nags August 28, 2007 12:59 AM  

wow! totally loved ur blog :)

especially the gooseberries. it used to grow wild in my aunt;s house and the only way i have eaten them is with salt.. this is so innovative. wish i cud some of them now to try it out.

Ady August 28, 2007 4:58 AM  

Hi Cynthia, I'm Ady and I live in Italy, i have found your blog in jaden's blog, very compliments it's terrific, i'll come here soon
Bye

Heather (errantdreams) August 28, 2007 5:26 AM  

Those tamarind balls look incredibly good---I adore tamarind! Have I mentioned lately how wonderful your photos are?

Speaking of memes, I tagged you now. Feel free to ignore it if you don't feel like participating! ;)

Mona,  August 28, 2007 10:24 AM  

Hello Cynthia :-), my first time to your blog. Loved the way you present, and look ahead to try out your recipes.

www.monaafzal.wordpress.com

swapna susarla August 28, 2007 2:04 PM  

Hi Cynthia
the gooseberry is really mouth watering!!!i can rememebr when i was a child in my school we used to have goose berry trees and the teachers used to give all of the students the berries .mmmm!!!!!
thats a nice meme anita!!!

Anonymous,  August 28, 2007 3:04 PM  

Ooo, tamarind balls! When I was a kid I love eating 'tamarindo,' which was made in all sorts of delicious Mexican candies. I haven't had it in ages though... hmm...

Ari (Baking and Books)

Latha Narasimhan August 28, 2007 7:34 PM  

Cynthia, I suddenly remembered that my mother used to prepare a preserve called sweet nellikai( goose berries in sugar syrup). Now she is old and sick! I don't feel like asking for the recipe. Two years back I spent some time with her to note down and try some rare recipes!I feel I have missed out many of them! Since I have tasted this I 'll try and make it! I still remember how we used to eat these like snacks! Thanks cynthia, for bringing bavk those old memories!

Amanda at Little Foodies August 29, 2007 4:38 AM  

Great post Cynthia and I loved the article too. Goosebrries with salt and pepper - I was amazed at that one. Autumn is usually my favourite time of year but as I feel we didn't really get a summer in England this year I'm not looking forward to it with quite the delight I normally do. I loved all the fresh soft fruits in Summer when I was a child, strawberries, raspberries, etc.

Isha August 29, 2007 6:59 AM  

wow great post cynthia, u remind me my childhood. love all those fruits.

Karin August 29, 2007 7:34 AM  

I see, Cynthia. Our cultivated gooseberries are the "Eurasian gooseberry". Your "Indian gooseberry" is produced by the species "Phyllanthus emblica".

My mother´s "Krusbärskräm" (Gooseberry créme) was eaten like porridge with milk, but this was a delicious every-day dessert when the gooseberries were in season.

Saju August 29, 2007 11:53 AM  

Green mango and chillies is my fav and second tamerind. My childhood treats were pretty similar to yours, though I was born in Uganda!
Please visit my blog, there is something for you there.

Sukanya Ramkumar August 29, 2007 1:37 PM  

WOW the gooseberry syrup is looking amazing....I love snocones...

Nirmala August 29, 2007 2:09 PM  

You brought back memories to my last trip to India. Green mangoes and chili and jalabi! Oh, my waters at the memory.

christine (myplateoryours) August 29, 2007 3:21 PM  

I love the term "small days" -- never heard it before but it's perfect. And I want to know more about ginips -- also new to me, but fascinating!

Mandira August 29, 2007 4:51 PM  

what are you doing cynthia? tamarind balls, jalebis, gooseberries... if I don't stop I'll soon be drooling. Looks delicious and fantastic!

Mansi Desai August 29, 2007 5:14 PM  

Hey cynthia, i finally finished posting my meme:)

but it's not as interesting as yours though:)

Happy cook August 29, 2007 5:39 PM  

MMMMMMMMMM seeing the goose berry's and the rest brought back memories. I used to eat kilos of Mangoes with chillie and salt. It was one of the favorite snacks with us in the school in the mango seasons. And not to mention the tamarinds. My mouth is full of water ;-)

Shankari August 29, 2007 6:39 PM  

What a superb post. I have the gooseberry syrup in my fridge right now. I crave for gooseberries and dont get them here. So I have the syrup like jam. Snocone...my husband thinks i am crazy when i even eat it in cold winter nights.

Pearl August 29, 2007 8:38 PM  

Wow those aren't fruit at all like around here. In Canada, what we call gooseberry is quite another thing as well. I can't imagine how some of those would taste.

Pat August 30, 2007 6:49 AM  

Cynthia, just wanted to let you know I have awarded you with the Nice matters blog award. You can pick it up on my blog!!! Oh you have more lovely food posted here again. I love snowcones!!! My fave was grape and orange mixed.

Cynthia August 30, 2007 8:41 AM  

Ann - steal away :)

Nicola - I used to like biting the seeds too.

Anonymous - Tigerfish, we've got our answer! Thanks, Anon. Won't that have been something if you found a baby (lol). Ah, the stories adults tell us kids.

Jenn - that's a tamarind ball for you: sweet, salt and spicy at the same time. They are made with sugar and tamarind pulp, we also add some garlic, hot chilies and salt to balance it.

The tamarind can be used to make drinks, syrups, sauces, chutneys, dips and act as the sour agent in many Thai & Indian dishes as well as Mexican.

Janet, Sirisha, Sig, Rosa, Patricia, Padma, Little M, Kevin, Isha, Sukanya & Nirmal - thanks to all of you my dear friends.

Nags - thanks for stopping by and a very warm welcome to you. Hope you come back and visit when you can.

Ady - thank you too for stopping by. Welcome to my little space in the blogsphere. You are very welcome to visit as often as you can.

Heather - hey, it's always nice to see you here. Will work on the MEME.

Mona - Thank you and welcome! Come back when you can.

Swapna - I like your teachers :)

Ari - it is always a pleasure to see you here :)

Latha - you are welcome and I hope you have fun re-creating those tastes.

Amanda - welcome back. I missed you. I trust that you and the family had a good vacation. I totally understand what you mean about the weather.

Come to B'dos - lots of sunshine :)

Karin - sounds wonderful: the gooseberry creme.

Saju - thank you!

Christine - small days, it is, isn't it? :) Here is a link with some more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_gooseberry

Mandira - I'm not doing anything (lol) drool baby, drool :D

Mansi - I'm going to check it out and oh please! not as interesting as mine ;)

Happy Cook - thanks for visiting. A very warm welcome to you. Come back and visit when you can.

Shankari - wow! you have some in your fridge right now?! so many people here will envy you (lol)

Pear - a hearty Caribbean welcome to you. I love making new blog friends and hope that this will not be your only visit :)

Pat - thank you! will definitely pick it up.

Sia August 30, 2007 9:21 AM  

cynth darling... i am gonna kick u for posting these pics. i am seriosly craving for gooseberries(we call it nellikai in kannada), raw mangoes, tamarind... ~sluruuuuuuuup~ sorry, i cant stop drooling... why, oh why u had to post this..... yeah yeah, i am a drama queen;)

lakshmi August 30, 2007 11:37 AM  

Cynthia, you can also use BottleGourd - though it wont give you the translucent finish of Dumroot - White Pumpkins/ Winter Melons are found widely in South East Asia. In Madras we also get a melon shaped bottle gourd which almost gives the same finish.

Sandeepa August 30, 2007 11:57 AM  

Loved this post and the pics that go with it. Love those tamarind balls

Sandeepa August 30, 2007 11:59 AM  

Ummmmmmmm...my memory...
waiting for the ice cream man every Sunday...he would come sharp at 12...and we would hang on the windows waiting for his trademark shout

Tartelette August 30, 2007 2:18 PM  

Great post! I just discovered new items I did not know about! Great meme too, when I was a kid I wnated to sing like Nana Mouskouri!!

Kalyan August 31, 2007 5:01 AM  

Some mouth-watering shots...I simply can't wait to read the recipes!

Rachna August 31, 2007 10:31 AM  

awww very nice meme and love all the pics of the tropical fruit...makes me wanna visit guyana... when we were kids, we wud squash up a baby ripe mango without tearing the skin, then make a small hole and suck out all the juice....heeee

Lyrical Lemongrass August 31, 2007 12:56 PM  

Looks like some of your childhood favourites are the same in my part of the world too (Malaysia). I love eating tamarind balls even though there is so much sugar in those little things, while I had a gooseberry plant in my backyard in the old days and I'd pick them and eat them with salt!

Cynthia August 31, 2007 6:05 PM  

Sra - that is such a Caribbean thing and I guess a Sub-continent thing to say: I could kick you (lol) that brought back some good ole memories. Such a wonderful endearment. You can kick me anytime deary :), my friend the DQ - drama queen :D Hugs to you.

Lakshmi - thanks very much for the info.

Sandeepa - thank you. The snocone man passes here about 3.15 in the afternoon :)

Helen - thanks for dropping my. Always a pleasure to see you. Was/is Nana a big hit in France?

Kalyan - hey thanks for visiting my blog. A very warm welcome to you. Hope you come back and visit whenever you can.

Rachna - oh my gosh! that's one way we eat it too! :D

Lyrical Lemongrass - yes it seems as if there are similarities... thanks for visiting. Welcome and do come back and visit when you can.

ayseyaman August 31, 2007 6:11 PM  

Hi Cynthia
I used my english dictionary to check what Gooseberry means! It was
"bektaşi üzümü" but even it was the first time I heard "bektaşi üzümü" :)
Your post is so nice as always.
I would like to send you an email about Indian chicken sauce.
I want to try some sauce as "Tika masala" I think my spelling isnt good. :)

Cynthia August 31, 2007 7:42 PM  

Ayseyaman - thank you for letting me know. We both have learnt something :)

I have never made chicken tikka masala before but I am sure that I can get you a good recipe as I have seen it on one of my friends blogs. Will look for it and email you.

Raghu Ram Prasad September 01, 2007 3:15 AM  

Hi Cynthia!
Tasty mangoes with salt and immli and zelabi.....whatelse i want is that only...thanks

East Meets West Kitchen September 01, 2007 6:25 AM  

You have such wonderful fruits there, and some of which are so exotic and beautiful. Wow!

Kajal September 02, 2007 10:42 PM  

Really I have busy in my life but miss lots of things here but I never miss it again. What a great creative thinking in your mind you always make me crazy.

Nice Me Me.:)

Coffee & Vanilla September 04, 2007 2:34 AM  

Wow, I just had sugar cakes with my coffee couple of days ago. We got fresh delivery from my boyfriend parents from Dominica (tamarind balls, sugar cakes, guava cheese)... :)
Great blog!
Greetings from London, Margot

Keva,  February 02, 2008 5:04 PM  

Hi Cynthia! I enjoyed reading this post and looking at the pictures. The gooseberry in syrup is what we call stewed cherries. In the V.I., it's mostly eaten around Carnival time along with stewed tamon (tamarind). I LOVE tamon!! The sweet and sour/tangy combination makes my taste buds dance! lol!!

Anonymous,  November 26, 2010 12:19 PM  

I feel so lucky to live in Miami. We have mangoes, guinips, tamarind,five finger etc,,, all growing here. Come and visit or come and live. We welcome all West Indians. Love Diane

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